Today,
we hear the concluding section to Paul’s letter to the Romans, as he addresses
his audience in very personal and endearing terms. Paul wants them to know about his true
motives in writing this letter. He lets
them know of the goodness he sees in them, how he sees them being full of
knowledge and being able to instruct one another. In this passage, we hear of Paul’s zeal and
enthusiasm in bringing the Gospel to others, to the Gentile who have not yet
been exposed to God’s holy word.

As Catholics, Charles Borromeo might
not be very well known to us, but he is also an important missionary and
prophet in our Church, just as St Paul was.
Borromeo lived in the era of the Protestant Reformation, a time when our
Church was under great scrutiny and great attack. He was born into nobility in Milan Italy,
being related to the powerful Medici family.
When his uncle was elected as Pope Pius VI, Borromeo became the cardinal
and administrator of the important Italian Archdiocese of Milan. He was named Bishop of Milan at a very young
age. He was very influential in the
Council of Trent, and is well-known for promoting the system of seminaries that
we have today to educate our priests.
Charles Borromeo could have lived a life of great luxury and privilege,
but he gave much of his wealth to charity, led a very simple life, and took out
enormous debts in order to feed the victims of the plague in his city.

Like Charles Borromeo and St Paul, we
are all called to lives of holiness in our own way. May all of us be able to discern the ways to
which God is calling us to live out our lives of faith.

When I was in seminary, we had to take
many, many courses in philosophy.Since
the medieval period, when the training of priests became more standardized in
our Church, the study of philosophy has been at the foundation of our training
as priests.I remember taking a course
on the great medieval philosophers of the Church, using this huge two volume
textbook set that included all of their essential writings, written by the
great Jesuit philosophy professor Frederick Coppleston.Many of the Church’s theologians in the
medieval era spent a lot of time trying to prove God’s existence by using
philosophical reasoning.I wrote a
major paper addressing St Anselm’s proofs, a task that I did not find very
enjoyable.Our professor was always
wanting us to put something of ourselves into the paper, to personalize it, so
in its conclusion, I wrote that for me, for the way I approach faith in my own
life, approaching the existence of God from a philosophical view does not
really have an affect on my belief in God.For me, I walk by faith, I live my faith through the way I experience
God in my daily life.When I received my
paper back, I saw that my professor had written a comment at that section of
the paper, stating that he thought I was one of the lucky few, that for him,
faith was not enough.He needed proof,
he needed a rational, philosophical, knowledge-based explanation that God
really existed.

Our first reading today is from the
book of Wisdom, a book that we have in our Catholic Bible, but a book that is
not included in the Protestant scriptures.
When I think of the topic of wisdom, I think of a older man or an older
lady, wise from years of experience, giving advice to a younger person. Here in Yazoo City, and specifically in our
parish communities, there is an older generation that is really the spiritual
heart of our community, and I see everyone looking to them for guidance,
wisdom, and examples of how we can live out our lives of faith in the midst of
our modern world.

Yes, book knowledge is one thing. But it is not the only thing. We spend years
and years in our culture studying in schools, colleges, and universities, but
we need to go beyond that in finding a way to incorporate that knowledge into
our lives and into the real world. As
most of you know, I spent four years teaching Spanish at Greenville Weston High
School here in the Mississippi Delta before I became a priest. I had learned Spanish as a missionary, almost
literally out in the trenches you could say, not in the classroom. So for me, putting my practical knowledge of
Spanish into a classroom setting where I could explain the grammar and the nuts
and bolt of the language to my students was quite a challenge. However, I saw some other teachers who had
the opposition problem. On our teaching
staff was a lovely young lady from the coast who had just graduated from one of
the fine universities in our state. She was full of enthusiasm and energy. She majored in Spanish in college, but had
not really used it very much in real world settings. I remember when I introduced her to the some
of the Hispanic families who went to our parish in Greenville. When they tried to chat with her in Spanish,
she had no idea how to even start conversing with them, since she had learned
so much Spanish up here in her head, all of the grammar, the rules, and the vocabulary,
but using the language in conversation was something she had never really done.

Tradition has it that the Book of
Wisdom was written by King Solomon, a man very admired in ancient Israel for
his wisdom. Yet, most biblical scholars today believe that the Book of Wisdom was
probably written originally in Greek in the great ancient center of learning in
Alexandria, Egypt a couple of centuries before Christ’s birth. Today’s reading tells us that wisdom is
received by all who love her, that she is found by all who seek her. The writer tells us that if we watch for
wisdom at dawn, she will be waiting for us at the gate. It appears that we human beings innately
yearn for wisdom and for a connection with the divine in our lives. We are searching for wisdom, we are searching
for God. We are yearning, striving, and
aching for such a connection. Likewise,
wisdom and God are searching for us.

So, if we are saying that wisdom goes
beyond a book knowledge, beyond what we perceive intellectually, we can see
wisdom as a resonance, as an understanding of God’s teachings, laws, and
values. Wisdom is all about being able to integrate God and his teachings into our daily lives. And while book learning and knowledge are important in our development as human beings and in our spiritual quest, they are certainly
not everything. God can reach out to us,
wisdom can connect with us, in many diverse and eclectic ways: through music,
art, poetry, literature, and nature; through prayer, contemplation, and even
silence. And so meeting Wisdom at the
gates means that we are to find ways to gain this understanding, this
experience, this integration of God into our spirituality and into our
lives. In our Why Catholic groups this
year we are looking at different ways to pray, so meeting wisdom at the gate is
about connecting to God through prayer and meditation, in delving into his Holy
Word through lectio divina, in hearing God in the silence of contemplative
prayer, in connecting our experiences and our feelings with those that are
expressed by the psalmists. We as
Catholics, in our search for wisdom, are to read good books, to listen to
beautiful music, to see God in nature, to mediate over an intriguing piece of
art. And we are to find God’s wisdom in
the talents and gifts that God gives us.
When we sing or play a musical instrument, when we create a work of art,
when we knit or crochet, when we prepare a lovely meal for our family and
friends, when we write in our journal, we are to experience God, to connect to
the divine, to gain spiritual wisdom and understanding through those creative
experiences. And I know a lot of men out
here are hunters. I know that many of
you really find hunting a spiritual experience, in the connection to the land
and to nature, to the brisk autumn air and to the animals
that provide you food. Feel the
connection to God’s creation in that experience; then, perhaps you will find
greater spiritual understanding and a greater connection with your faith through
those experiences.

Wisdom is all about integrating our
knowledge and our intellectual understanding with our heart, our senses, our
bodies, and our real life experiences. And
I want to make clear that wisdom does not always mean that everything is clear-cut,
either-or, or an easily obtained answer.
We can see an example of this from our lives here in Mississippi. There has been a lot of discussion and
emotions going forth in recent weeks about Proposition 26 in the upcoming
election. Things are being said about us
as Catholics that condemn us for the position we are taking, that twist the bishop's words in order to make us look like a villain in
society. Wisdom does not mean that I am
going to stand up here as your priest and order you to vote a certain way or to
always give you the answers. As a
priest, I am here to lead you, to guide you, to help you along your journey,
not to force you along a certain path or to make decisions for you. Bishop Latino is telling us to form our
consciences in the Catholic tradition, and to use our consciences in voting on
this decision and on the other issues that confront us on election day, and in
all the other decisions, big and small, that we have to make in life.

Connecting with the divine wisdom,
connecting with God, is not always easy and comfortable. In our search of wisdom, we will have great
joys and great struggles. And all of
this is an essential part of our journey.

Vey McGraw, a parishioner at St Mary parish, portrays the Witch of Yazoo City in cemetery tours and in other public events here in Yazoo City. She made a grand appearance as the Witch of Yazoo City at our Halloween Carnival this Sunday afternoon. She read from Willie Morris' stories about the legend of the Witch of Yazoo City. I am very, very thankful for Vey's appearance today.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

We are in the last weeks of our present
liturgical year. We’re just 4 weeks away from the beginning of Advent, from a
new Church year which begins on Nov 27.Advent is not only a time when we prepare for Christmas and for the
birth of Jesus into our world, but it is a penitential season where we look
into our hearts in a special way to see those ways we need to turn away from
sin and to receive renewal and conversion in our lives.Today’s readings get us thinking about these
themes, about how we need to repent and amend our ways, to look at those things
that perhaps are eroding our faith, that are keeping us from growing in our
relationship with Christ.

The
prophet Malachi spoke to the people of ancient Israel in the fifth century,
just a generation or two after the Israelites returned from exile in
Babylon.At that time, the people had
once again turned their backs on God.Many had married outside of their faith and had turned to the worship of
foreign idols.Malachi is very direct in
his message, in identifying the sins of the people and the sins of their
priests.The prophet tells them that it’s
not enough to go through the empty motions of religious rituals if they are
doing so for their own glory and to make themselves look good in the eyes of
others and in the eyes of God.Malachi
prophesies that the priests will be held accountable for having strayed from
their faith, for leading the people astray as well.

Jesus
is very hard on the Pharisees and the Scribes in today’s Gospel, because he saw
them not only leading so many of the faithful astray, but they took the glory
that was due God, and in a very sneaky and hypocritical way, turned it into
their own glory.Yet, in contrast to the
scribes and Pharisees that Jesus warns us about, I bet we can all think of
those who have been examples of faith for us, who truly have lived and served
for the glory of God, who have led us closer to the faith rather than leading
us astray.When I was in Ecuador serving
as a missionary, I saw so many priests and nuns who had left their countries
from all over the world in order to serve the poor throughout this vast jungle
region of South America.I met one
elderly nun from Italy – Sister Gemma – who had been there in the jungle for
almost forty years.Even though she had
gone through some very difficult times, I was struck by the love, grace, and
humility through which she served the Lord as a missionary.She never drew attention to herself, she
never was announcing to others how great she was.She knew that God called her as a missionary,
as his servant, so she served him simply and humbly, through patience,
perseverance, and hard work.That is so
different from the message we see in the Pharisees and scribes in today’s Gospel,
who follow all the laws of the faith, but who do so rigidly and
dogmatically.In flaunting the way they
take the seats of honor, in drawing attention to themselves and lording their
power over others, the scribes and Pharisees really are serving only themselves.

Let
us look at a very different example.Our
psalmist humbly comes before the Lord this morning, telling him: My heart is
not proud, Lord.My eyes are not
haughty.I don’t spend my time trying to
accomplish great things.I don’t not
worry about those things that are too complicated or sublime for me.Instead, the psalmist declares that he has
found his peace with the Lord, that his hope is in the Lord both now and
forever.

The
Pharisees and scribes would not have understood one of the main messages St
Teresa of Avila brings to us in her teachings, that love begets love, that even
though we are all still truly beginners in loving in the same way that Jesus
loved, we are to strive to implant this love in our hearts and to bring this
love to others.And we can bring this
love to others in so many different ways, in so many creative ways, even in
some fun ways.Our parishes here in
Yazoo City had a Halloween carnival that was a very important social activity
for many years, but it had been a long time since we’ve had this event.Out of love for our parish community, out of
love for our children and youth, some of the ladies of our parish wanted to
revive this event this year.For many in
our parish, the Halloween carnival brings back a lot of memories.So, we look forward to having this social
time together this afternoon in this revival of an old parish tradition.If we try to be a community where Christ’s
love is present, where we want to share this love with others, then that love
will multiply, and be a true sign that we are living out the Gospel message in
our world.

Just
last week, we saw our own Pope Benedict using our Catholic faith to bring the
message of God’s love to the world.He
convened religious leaders from all over the world to Assisi, Italy, the
hometown of St Francis of Assisi, to stress the importance of all of us working
together for world peace.Pope Benedict
pointed out that it had been 25 years to the day that Pope John Paul II convened
the first world day prayer for peace in Assisi.Leaders from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, traditional African religions,
and from different Protestant faiths all pledged to work toward dialogue,
justice, peace, and friendship.In a
world where a lot of terrorism and violence has been perpetuated in the name of
God and in the name of different religions, a world day of prayer for peace
tells the world what all these faith traditions truly stand for.

Yes,
there are a lot of things that can erode our faith, that can lead us astray,
that can bring us down.However, if we
make a conscious decision of living out a faith that is more than going through
the motions, then God’s love will truly be present.

About Me

After serving as a priest at St Richard and Holy Family Parishes in Jackson, Mississippi for 2 1/2 years, and then in Yazoo and Humphreys Counties in the Mississippi Delta for 2 years, I am now serving St James parish in Tupelo and serving as the coordinator of a regional ministry team in the Tupelo area of northeast Mississippi. I love being a priest here in Mississippi, and am very passionate about my service to God and his people. This blog contains the daily and Sunday homilies that I preach at my parishes, both in English and in Spanish.